A few years ago my daughter started knitting. I wish I could say I taught her or encouraged her. Nope...she found her own way to a knitting shop in Southern California and started a beautiful, soft, multi-colored wool scarf. I was impressed and envious! I remembered NOTHING about my old knitting days and didn't have a clue where to begin again after all those years.
A few months back, some friends invited me to the kick-off session of a newly formed knitting club. I was so excited. The friend hosting gave us all a handmade knitting bag. They had been lovingly made for all of us by her step-mother. Each one was made with different fabric and buttons and each one was unique and fun. Our first project was that basic dish cloth from my past. Ha...but, I was thrilled to be knitting again and it started to come back to me. I made several of those dish cloths and enjoyed every stitch. Interestingly, some of us embraced knitting with a vengeance and others had absolutely no interest after our first meeting. I couldn't get enough of it!
After my dish cloth phase I moved onto my scarf phase and then to my beanie phase. With the help of classes and YouTube videos I learned more and more stitches and took on more and more projects. I learned how to add stitches and decrease stitches. I learned yarn overs and front and back stitches. I learned funky ways to cast on and cast off. I learned how to make some amazing slippers and felt them and I made the most amazing market bag! I LOVE that bag. I had high hopes of making one for everyone I know! It didn't happen. That bag was challenging and one day I need to re-visit it!
I'm far from an expert knitter. There is still so much to learn and I still get completely intimidated when I make a mistake and have to try and fix it! Sometimes I can't! You do a lot of problem solving in knitting! It isn't that rare that I completely undo a project and start over out of frustration. It's almost always a lesson in patience...
Two weeks before Christmas my daughter and I signed up for a cable knit hat class. I had never done any cable knitting. I was feeling intimidated before the class and hoped I would be able to keep up. I went to the knitting shop early to pick out my yarn and get the right needle size. Before class started I completely fell in love with the required yarn. It is thick and chunky and soft at the same time. The colors are amazing and vivid and hand dyed. It was hard to choose! I entered the classroom with my deep blue ball of yarn, my knitting tools and my newly opened package of cable hooks.
I LOVED this class and I loved the soft feel of the yarn as I knit and I found that doing cables was incredibly fun and rewarding. I was able to keep up and see progress and felt confident I could actually get my knitting homework done before the next week when we would complete the hat in class.
Seriously, I'm in love with this yarn. The brand is "Malabrigo". It is kettle dyed pure merino wool and it is delicious...
I was able to complete my hat project and finish it up in the 2nd class. I enjoyed it so much I started another one in class that night! (I needed some assistance to remember the new "twisted German" cast on method we just learned).
Cables rock! I was excited to give this hat to my gorgeous daughter-in-law...
I don't think I'm overstating this to say they were the most popular gifts I gave! I got 2 random emails Christmas night with requests for the same hat!
Lookin' good in the new hats! Super warm as well...
And, so...I headed back to the yarn shop the day after Christmas to get another skein of this lovely yarn.
Half way there! Each one is beautiful! When I get this one finished I am going to make one for ME!
I LOVE knitting! I already have several projects lined up for the new year...
This amazing cable knit hat pattern is available on: Ravelry.com
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/annewinter2000/an-unoriginal-hat
note: I used these recommended modifications on this hat pattern. It allows you to finish using just one skein of the scrumptious "Malabrigo" yarn.
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